Tame the Email Monster

“I’ll EMAIL you,” we said to one another, wanting to be efficient and up to the moment. We understood technology. We got it. We had email.

Fast forward and you find a completely different picture. Today many of us are drowning in email. We get more and more spam every day. We see super-cool sites we want to know more about so we sign up to get the freebie and then the emails start.

Our inboxes are jammed with forwards and unwanted solicitations to buy all manner of things – mixed with the email we DO want!

This has created a situation where it’s not uncommon to get hundreds of emails a day. We lose time, focus, become overwhelmed with the volume and soon can’t separate the good stuff from the pitches.

Happily, there is an easy solution. One I’ve done and it set me free! I call it “taming the email monster.” If you want more time and less stress, then this is for you!

You really can tame the email monster that lives in your computer by using the four ‘tried and true’ methods below.

Create A “Marketing” Email Addresses

Why have everything come into one inbox and have to sort it by hand?

The key to saving time is SORTING your email so you can quickly look at the important stuff.

Create a business email address for the marketing material you receive. When you sign up for a free email series, use the business address.

When you contact friends and family, order products online or need to have individual communication use your personal address.

Sort the emails by sender to see each marketer’s messages. This is a quick way to decide if something is worth reading.

Time saved!

Batch Email Tasks Together

Tip two is a huge time saver but a radical idea for many people. Ready to be brave? Then check your email once a day!

Yes… once a day!

By combining email in this way you will accomplish two worthwhile goals.

Keeping focus on important tasks before checking email.

Spending less time on email when committing to a once daily schedule.

Use your morning to focus on your top priority and then check your email when you are done.

Make Friends With Filters

Every good email program has the ability to FILTER messages into various folders.

When an email comes in from a particular address or with a particular subject line, it doesn’t go into your inbox, but rather to its own folder.

The key is to avoid scanning a large group of emails that will distract your attention, and be able to go quickly to those messages that matter most.

Imagine if when your email came in you could tell in 10 seconds which ones were important and which could wait.

Technology To The Rescue!

If you find yourself sending the same reply repeatedly, I have good news for you. There are programs you can use that will allow you to paste in any response you want with only a few clicks.

If you are on Windows then check out ShortKeys. If you are on a Mac then check out Text Expander.

I’m sure there are others but these are the two I have used. They both work the same way. Type in your response once and assign a short series of keystrokes you would not normally use. Anytime you type that series of keystrokes your full response is instantly pasted into your email reply.

It’s a huge time saver!

Try these tips and you will love the time savings!

Email is here to stay – no question there. Email marketing is the most powerful and targeted form of marketing online.

Email is convenient and fun when it doesn’t take over your life, but is horrible when you become chained to your computer by fear of missing something.

Take control of your email today, and get back the time you need to meet your goals and run your business.

Because being in control is a beautiful thing indeed!

Charlie Page owns the Directory of Ezines and is the author of 10 books about Internet marketing. Through his membership sites and personal consulting, Charlie helps people achieve their goal of independence in record time. Can Charlie help you? Find out at http://www.CharliePage.com